Weekly Update for May 15: Women Centric, Directed and Written Films Playing Near You

This post-apocalyptic feminist action-adventure story features Charlize Theron in her most kick-ass role yet. Her Imperator Furiosa goes rogue and tried to break out the female slaves being held by the warlord Immortan Joe. Along the way, Mad Max, played by Tom Hardy, joins the traveling rebels and they punch, shoot, and vroom down a seemingly never-ending desert to find a new way of life. (Melissa Silverstein)

I’ll See You In My Dreams – Women-Centric Pick of the Week

Blythe Danner is exquisite in this Sundance hit about life near death. In my review for TheWrap, I wrote, “A far cry from the Nancy Meyers rom-com promised by its trailer, Brett Haley’s directorial debut is a poignant if slight drama elevated by its impressive candor and by Danner’s radiant performance. Widowed and retired for two decades, Carol has little to do, especially after she relieves her cancer-ridden Labrador retriever from his suffering. … The thin but just-enough plot finds the mourning senior attempting to fill up her days with something other than bottles of afternoon chardonnay.” Unsurprisingly, she ultimately finds new loves and friends. “It’s all familiar material, of course, down to the ‘Golden Girls’-broad scene in which Carol and her girlfriends get goofy on some medicinal wacky tobacky. But it’s impossible to take issue with the formula here; Carol is such good company… and Haley transports this well-worn narrative into a life stage rarely explored at the multiplex.” (Inkoo Kang)

Pitch Perfect 2 – Directed by Elizabeth Banks; Written by Kay Cannon – Women-Written and Women-Directed Pick of the Week

The Barden Bellas (Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, Hailee Steinfeld) are back and need to redeem themselves after a humiliation at a competition. Elizabrth Banks takes the directing reins of the film, and these girls will put a smile of your face while you are humming the awesome soundtrack. (Melissa Silverstein)

Every Secret Thing – Directed by Amy Berg; Written by Nicole Holofcener

A detective looks to unravel a mystery surrounding missing children and its prime suspects: two young women who, seven years ago, were put away for an infant’s death. Diane Lane, Elizabeth Banks and Dakota Fanning star. (Press materials)

When her marriage falls apart, Agnes Le Roux moves back to the South of France from Africa to live with her mother, Renee (Catherine Deneuve), owner of the Palais de la Mediterranee casino in Nice. There, Agnes falls in love with Maurice Agnelet (Guillaume Canet), a lawyer and Renee’s business adviser, who is ten years her senior. Behind the scenes hangs the shadow of the mafia and Fratoni, the owner of the rival casino, who wants to take over the Palais de la Mediterranee. In November of 1977, after a failed suicide attempt, Agnes disappears. Her body is never found. Thirty years on, Maurice Agnelet remains the prime suspect in a murder case with no body and no proof of his guilt. Convinced of his involvement, Renee is prepared to fight to the bitter end to see him put behind bars. (Press materials)

Dark Star: H.R. Ginger’s World (doc) – Directed and Written by Belinda Sallin

This documentary brings viewers into the home and life of surrealist goth artist H.R. Giger, who won an Academy Award for designing the legendary character from Ridley Scott’s “Alien” films, starring Sigourney Weaver opposite creatures of Giger’s creation. In addition to his contributions to the nightmares of generations of moviegoers, Giger (1940-2014) was an accomplished sculptor and painter. His work lives on in album covers, tattoos and in a museum dedicated to his work. (Press materials)

A stylish, ’70s-period crime thriller inspired by true events, it tells the story of real-life Marseilles magistrate Pierre Michel (Jean Dujardin) and his relentless crusade to dismantle the most notorious drug smuggling operation in history: the French Connection. (Press materials)

Films Written by Women Currently Playing

She’s Funny That Way (Squirrels to the Nuts) – Co-Written by Louise Stratten

“Shades of Blue” is over, but Lopez’s “World of Dance” continues as a big hit for NBC. As she winds down three years of both her drama series and her Vegas residency, here’s what’s next for the superstar.